Contrary to the advice of many well-meaning but ignorant trainers and “experts” out there, machine exercises can be used to build muscular strength and size, strength gained from machine exercises will transfer to other activities, and machines will not injure you or harm your joints when used properly. If someone believes otherwise, they do not understand exercise in general, they don’t understand what functional ability is or how exercise improves it, and they don’t know how to properly use machines (or, as is often the case, how to properly exercise at all).
Before addressing specific machine training myths, it is necessary to point out just as there are good and bad exercises, there are good and bad machines. Like a good exercise, a properly designed machine provides resistance to the targeted muscles over a path and range of motion based on muscle and joint function, in a manner which efficiently loads those muscles . Unfortunately, there are many machines which do this very poorly or suffer from other design flaws affecting efficiency or safety. While someone with an understanding of machine design can identify these and either avoid them or work around the problem if necessary, many trainers and “experts” are ignorant of this, and often blame machines in general based on their experiences with specific machines of poor design and/or their own incompetence.
For example, a properly designed leg press machine will not cause your lower back to flex to a harmful degree or injure your knees if you are positioned and performing the exercise correctly. If someone says, “leg presses are dangerous because they put too much stress on your knees and back”, it is because they either don’t know how to use a leg press machine correctly or are wrongly generalizing based on their experience with a few poorly designed machines, or both.
It is also necessary to point out that while properly designed machines provide some advantages over free weight exercises both appear to be equally effective for improving muscular strength and size and overall functional ability when used correctly. There are many myths which exaggerate the advantages of machines over free weights as well.
Myth: Machine exercises are harmful to the joints because they involve repetitive movements along unnatural paths and ranges of motion.
Truth: The path and range of motion of a properly designed machine is based on muscle and joint function and a properly designed machine can be adjusted to allow for correct positioning and alignment providing a safe path and range of motion for the majority of people.
Assuming a machine is properly designed, if you are correctly positioned and/or aligned and performing the exercise correctly you aren’t going to be injured by it. If a machine does not allow you to position and/or align yourself correctly or perform the correct movement for the exercise it is poorly designed and you should not use it. Unfortunately, there are plenty of examples of machines with axes of rotation in positions making proper alignment difficult or impossible for some users (alignment of a joint means both the average axes of the joints over the ROM of the exercise and the planes of movement are aligned – most people only consider the first), which cause some users to move into positions which are potentially harmful to the joints, which violate muscular sufficiency principles, etc.
Assuming a machine is properly designed and used correctly it will not cause a repetitive motion injury either, as long as you are performing a reasonable volume and frequency of exercise. If people are experiencing repetitive motion injuries as a result of their training their form and program are most likely the problem, not the equipment.
Myth: Machine exercises do not improve “functional strength” because they do not resemble common body movements in daily living and athletic activities.
Truth: Regardless of the equipment used or the movement performed, the skill of an exercise is specific and improvements in that skill will not transfer to your skill in performing any other activity no matter how similar they appear. The strength gained from an exercise is general, however, and will transfer to improved performance in any other movement involving the muscles strengthened regardless of whether they resemble the exercise movement.
Whether you train with machines, free weights, body weight, manual resistance, some other tool, or a combination of all of them, the strength gained will transfer to all movements the muscles trained are involved in. You just have to plan your program so you effectively train all of the major muscle groups.
Myth: Free weight exercises are more effective than machine exercises for building muscular strength and size because they involve more muscles as stabilizers.
Truth: When you perform an exercise with a barbell or dumbbells more muscles are involved to assist in balancing the weight, but just because a muscle is involved in an exercise doesn’t mean it is under sufficient load to be effectively stimulated by it, and the additional focus required to balance the weight can detract from your ability to intensely contract the target muscles.
For example, the primary purpose of an overhead pressing exercise whether standing with a barbell or seated on a machine is to work the shoulders, upper traps, and triceps. How well it does this is what matters, not whether or the degree to which it involves other muscles as stabilizers. If you are concerned with the strength of those other muscles (and you should be) your program should include exercises which work them directly and far more effectively.
Also, while properly designed machines do a very good job of providing support to counter reactionary force and help you maintain proper positioning and/or alignment so you can focus on working the target muscles, many still require other muscles to work as stabilizers
Myth: Machines with fused movement arms will create strength imbalances because they allow you to train one side harder than the other.
Truth: It is possible to use a machine with a fused movement arm in an unbalanced manner, but as long as you perform an exercise with the intention of working both sides with equal effort this is not a problem. It is also possible to do a large number of very stupid things with a barbell or dumbbells – and people quite often do – but this is the users’ faults, and not the weights’.
If you are working harder with one side at the start of an exercise it will fatigue more quickly and require the other side to work harder later in the set. As long as you continue the exercise to the point of momentary muscular failure or very close to it the average relative effort over the course of the exercise will be roughly equal for both sides. This is not the case with unilateral movement arms where bilateral imbalances are more likely to cause problems.
Machines with fused movement arms provide several advantages over machines with independent movement arms and free weights. It is easier to assist or spot someone using a machine with a fused movement arm, and you can do it in a balanced way from either side of the machine. The ability to use a fused movement arm in a bilaterally unbalanced manner is an advantage when you want to use one limb to spot or assist the other for rehab purposes, or to perform negative-accentuated repetitions. Machines with fused movement arms also require less motor control, allowing you to focus more on the intensity of muscular contraction
Myth: Machines exercises are safer than free weight exercises because they prevent you from moving incorrectly or dropping a weight on yourself.
Truth: No machine can prevent you from positioning and/or aligning yourself and/or using it incorrectly, and it is possible to drop a weight or movement arm in a way that could strike or pin and injure you on some machines. Also, barbell exercises can be performed inside a rack with safety bars or catches set at an appropriate height to prevent you from dropping the weight on yourself or becoming trapped under it.
There are some really badly designed machines and even entire equipment lines I would strongly discourage people from using due to potentially dangerous features, such as motorized machines which abruptly increase resistance when the user begins negative movement (or even more dangerously, in a seemingly random and arbitrary fashion as was the case with several X-Force machines we tested), but often the risk of injury has far more to do with how the machine is used.
A barbell is very safe when used correctly, and can be very dangerous when it is not. A properly designed machine is also very safe when used correctly, and can be very dangerous when it is not. The real problem is neither free weights or machines, it is that many people don’t know how to exercise correctly using any kind of equipment.
Myth: Machines are fine for beginners but advanced trainees should use free weights.
Truth: Most machine exercises require less motor control and are easier to learn than free weight exercises, making them well suited to new trainees. However, there are no advantages of barbell exercises for advanced trainees in terms of improvements in general health, fitness, or appearance. Both free weights and machines appear to be equally effective for these, and with proper instruction either or both can be used safely and effectively by people of any experience level.
Myth: Machine exercises are more effective than free weights because they vary the resistance to match the muscles strength as it changes over the range of motion, while free weight exercises do not.
Truth: Some machines vary the resistance correctly, many do not, and some free weight exercises can be done in a way that matches the resistance curve to the strength curve pretty well.
Balanced variable resistance makes exercise more effective because it results in a relatively consistent effort from the target muscles over the full range of the exercise, eliminating sticking points and points where the muscles are under-loaded. This fatigues the muscles more efficiently so a lower load is required to achieve momentary muscle failure within the desired time frame, reducing risk of injury.
Ultimately, how you use it is more important than what equipment you use. Although properly designed machines provide several advantages over free weights, when used properly both are effective for improving muscular strength and size and all other general factors of functional ability.
Carpinelli RN, Otto RM, Winett RA. A Critical Analysis of the ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training: Insufficient Evidence to Support Recommended Training Protocols. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online 2004;7(3):1-60
Fisher J, Steele J, Bruce-Low S, Smith D. Evidence Based Resistance Training Recommendations. Medicine Sportiva Med Sport 01/2011; 15:147-162.
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Great Post my friend. Keep them coming. I will be having my staff read this.
Dwayne Wimmer
Owner
Vertex Fitness Personal Training Studio
Hello Drew,
Interesting article. I would like to know your opinion about elastic resistance bands, what do you think of it?
I recently purchased a solid set, first I was a bit skeptical, but I must admit I’m quite satisfied with it. Especially to have some variety next to barbell and dumbbell training.
Greetings from Holland
Paul,
You can get good results using almost any tool as long as it allows you to perform exercises correctly, hard, and progressively. That being said, the resistance curves elastic bands provide are poor for most exercises, so if you have access to dumbbells and barbells I would recommend using them instead. I suggest reading my comments on variety in The Ultimate Routine.
Hi Drew,
Great information. I have been perusing your web site for about the last 2 months. I have found tons of useful information presented logically and thoughtfully. I bought High Intensity Workouts and have been training using those workouts. The reduced volume is just what my 53 year old body needed. Thanks for all the informative posts.
Excellent summary of the various arguments. Thanks!
Hi Drew,
Just out of curiosity; what is your opinion on bowflex machines? Do you think that they are well designed machines that could be used effectively for HIT? Dr. Darden did write a book about the subject however, I feel that his opinion could be biased.
Best,
Anthony
Anthony,
I have not used any of the Bowflex machines but I think they can be effective if used correctly. If I can find set up in a local store I may go try it out and write a review. I recently bought a set of the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells along with the stand and the SelectTech 3.1 adjustable bench for home use and am happy with them, though.
Hi Drew,
Glad to hear the Bowflex dumbbells are working for you. I was wondering if you had any experience with the IronMaster quicklock adjustable dumbbells? I bought them about 2 years ago and love them. The adjustments on the IronMaster dumbbells can not be made as quickly as the Bowflex, but they are a rock solid product. Very sturdy. If I want to move fast to adjust them, I can do it in less than 60 seconds. By the way, I am not affiliated with IronMaster in any way.
JJ,
The IronMaster Quick Lock was one of the dumbbells I considered, but as sturdy as they are I chose the SelectTech because efficiency was a higher priority and the stand is more ergonomic and has wheels. The SelectTech 552 dumbbells and stand combined were also about half the price of the IronMaster, and the SelectTech 1090 dumbbells and stand combined are less expensive as well and go up to 90 lbs.
Bowflex’s “power-rods” have a ramping resistance, effective at start but too ‘heavy’ at end, or effective at the end but slack at start. Thus, Bowflex HIT requires doing partial reps.
Mark,
This is a limitation of most types of elastic resistance, but I’ve read the new SpiralFlex plates provide a more constant resistance. If I can find a showroom in the area I’ll try them out and review them here.
Another excellent article Drew, now ive just got to get the muppets at work to read and understand this!
Hi Drew,
I have been using MedX machines since 2009 after my shoulder operation. The MedX were purchased by the owner in 1994 and still tick most of the boxes for an excellent exercise machine. I have lost no strength from the MedX and lost no functional ability in fact I beleive that both have significantly improved.
When I ask people about their knowledge of exercise machines they have no idea of muscle and joint function.
Watching other people use MedX or hammer strength, free weights etc, they have no idea of how to exercise correctly for these people different types of exercise equipment would not matter. Typical answer is that I have been training this way for years!
Nice article Drew. I’ve been experimenting with the Max Pyramid technique and realized that if loaded statics truly are effective for gaining strength, a variable resistance cam is likely less important to stimulation than claimed. If a sticking point prematurely stops a rep, a simple (but not easy) static at that point should be able to effectively continue the inroad.
Are your current thoughts on variable resistance (as described in this article) new? They seem to go against many of your colleagues.
Thomas,
This is something I plan to write about in more detail later. It is important to consider the resistance encountered by the muscles over the range of an exercise is affected by many factors in addition to the equipment, and unless those other factors are understood and controlled you can’t accurately compare the effects of differences in a single variable like the cam profile of a machine or the leverages of a free weight exercise.
Drew- intereating read! -some machines that appear glamorous are actually some of the worst in terms of design!!
Drew do you think the adrenaline rush and the fear of dropping the weight, could help you lift more intensely, or is it still not worth the risk?
Paul,
You should always try to minimize the risk of injury during exercise. Exercises performed with a barbell above the body should be done using a rack or bench with safety catches or a competent, attentive spotter unless you are able to safely dump the bar.
I like the quote that goes something like, “your muscles can’t tell if they’re contracting against a machine, a barbell, or a bucket full of rocks.” Is this an Arthur Jones quote? While a bucket full of rocks would be tricky to work certain muscles I still like this quote, lol. I think it fits here.
Donnie,
Arthur said and wrote several things to this effect, and often referred to Nautilus machines as being “a thinking man’s barbell”.
In one of a series of articles in Iron Man magazine called “My First Half Century In The Iron Game” Arthur wrote about a bodybuilder named Melvin Wells who trained with barbells made of pipe and buckets full of rocks, which might have been where the comparison came from.
Drew,
I remember reading some of the excerpts of “My First Half Century In The Iron Game” in a certain Magazine back in the early 90’s. I use to look forward to these every month. Great stuff during my pre internet days.
Donnie,
It was in Iron Man, which also published a series of articles by Arthur back in the early 1970’s.
Drew,
What machine brands do you recommend? The gym I go to has life fitness machines but I’m not a fan of them
Mike,
The brands I like are RenEx, MedX, Nautilus, Avenger, and Hammer Strength. Unfortunately the only ones you are likely to find in most gyms are Nautilus and Hammer Strength.
Do you think the current line of nautilus are as good as older models? I’ve seen newer machines made by them that look a lot cheaper and maybe less effective because of design.
Hey Joe,
In many ways some of the newer Nautilus lines like the Nitro are better than the first and second generation machines, but most of the older machines can be made better than the new ones with some work.
Hi Drew,
Question on targeting stabiliser muscles? To some extent I think that “stabilising/er” muscles is a word thrown out there by the gym instructor to say I don’t know what other muscles you are using. When you think about it stabiliser muscles can be used almost infinetly in the human body when exercising. The same when playing different sports. The batter comes stabilises the leg muscles also lowers the centre of gravity by bending the knees and than rotates and the body at the same time an infinite amount of upper body muscles would be stabilising the body rotation. My point is that when you say X exercise using machines or free weights or body weight certain muscles would always act as stabiliser. As the movement progressing more than likely other muscles would act as stabilisers the same as with the batting example.
A further question are stabiliing muscles also postural muscles – the more deeper muscles. To work those more deeper muscles requires a different approach to weight exercises than when training the larger outer muscles. I know that Bill DeSimone points this out in Moment Arm exercises most people go to the gym to build the larger muscles and not the postural muscles.
Steven,
During most exercises many different muscles are involved performing a variety of roles and depending on who you ask they may use different terms, but these roles can generally be divided into two groups; producing the desired movement (agonists, synergists) and preventing unwanted movement (stabilizer, neutralizer, fixator, etc.). If the exercise is performed correctly (using correct body positioning and paths of movement) the muscles producing the movement will be meaningfully loaded, but this is not the case for all of the muscles preventing unwanted movement. Depending on the exercise, body position, external bracing, and other factors the stabilizing muscles may encounter anywhere from a very low to a very high level of resistance and during some exercises it changes significantly over the range of motion. Just because a muscle is involved in an exercise does not mean it is working hard enough to benefit from it.
A good example of this is the standing press versus the seated press or overhead press machine. While more muscles are involved in the standing press to maintain balance, they do not have to work very hard to do so because of the relatively short moment arms, even when using relatively heavy loads.
This is very different when comparing the bent over barbell row or seated cable row to a compound row machine with a support pad for the chest. During the bent over barbell row and seated cable row the muscles of the lower back and hips which act as stabilizers work against a much longer moment arm and would be affected more by the exercise, although this can detract from the ability to focus on the target muscles of the upper back and arms.
The deep postural muscles do not require a different approach than the larger, outer muscles. Their roles include maintaining and returning to a balanced, upright posture, and any exercise during which they must work hard to do so (trunk flexion, extension, rotation, etc.) will effectively work them along with the larger more superficial muscles. This includes both dynamic and isometric exercises.
Hi Drew,
Thanks for your response you made understanding the invlovement in muscles more clearer be they agonist or stabilisers. In effect we are talking about percentages of involvement of stabilising muscles but in most exercises the percentage of involement of the stabilising muscles isn’t anywhere near enough to effectively stimulate the muscle to grow in size or increase in strength.
In effect when some self proclaimed fitness expert on youtube says that “machines” are worthless because they don’t work the stabilising muscles are actually saying I don’t really know muscle and joint function or the involvement of various muscles in the movement.
I think that many of these claims on stabiliising muscles have come from the the followers of “functional movement” many who I believe don’t really understand the goal of exercise. When training their clients functional movement followers remind me of circus trainers training their animals not exercise instructors providing proper exercise instruction.
The reason I mentioned the deep postural muscles my wife 12 months ago had a back operation and whilst I understand the requirements for rehabilatation. I don’t like to make too many comments on the rehabilatation process but I have thought that that the larger muscles for too long have been ignored.
Steven,
Stabilizer involvement is an important consideration, but not for the reasons many believe. You want to be aware of the requirements for stabilization so you can avoid exercises or positions where significant demand on stabilizers might detract from some people’s ability to efficiently load or focus on the contraction of the target muscles, or when you want to avoid working a particular muscle due to an injury.
Hi Drew,
What are your thoughts on Smith machine squats? I’ve been doing leg presses for a long time and wanted to switch to squats, but the gym I go doesn’t have an appropriate rack for barbell squats, only a Smith machine. Do you recommend performing this exercise?
Thanks for your time.
Marcelo,
Squats can be performed safely and effectively in a smith machine if you use proper foot placement, with your feet centered below the bar where they would be for a normal barbell back squat. Most of the problems I see with people’s form when squatting on a smith machine are because of people putting their feet too far forward.
About the myth about machines damaging joints due to unnatural movement paths. You mentioned machines being properly designed. Do smith machines count as properly designed when it comes to bent over rows, bench press, squats, deadlifts (or a partial deadlift similar to a rack pull), back extension (good morning) and overhead press?
Zidan,
A smith machine would be appropriate for any exercise requiring a relatively straight vertical movement of the bar. Squats, deadlifts, bench presses, overhead presses, rows, shrugs, etc., can all be done safely and effectively using a smith machine.
Happy Holidays Drew! I was thinking about starting a home gym centered around a squat stand with long spotter arms and barbells. Another option I have is to join the local rec center that has a set of Nautilus Nitro machines and a new set of Nautilus machines (not sure which). The rec center has no squat rack but a smith machine. I was starting to sell myself on the home gym due to the convenience and all the other benefits of a home gym but wondered if you thought the rec center might be a better option? I have been working out at a commercial powerlifting style gym. I am 28 and around 225lbs. I do find barbell squats difficult to do in HIT fashion and feel like I adequately worked my legs…Thanks.
Hey Will,
This really depends on personal preference, but I would recommend most people train at home if they have adequate equipment because typical gym environments are not conducive to proper training for both physical and psychological reasons. Home training gives you total control over the environment and the ability to train any time, without waiting for equipment, without distractions, and without feeling the need to impress others which often leads to sacrificing form for the sake of lifting more weight or doing more reps.
Our home set up consists of a very basic bodyweight and free weight set up which takes up only 120 square feet and allows for a variety of effective and efficient workouts:
UXS bodyweight station
Power rack
Adjustable bench
Olympic 7 foot, shrug, and EZ curl bars
Adjustable dumbbells
Neck harness
Ivanko Super Gripper
Fat Gripz
Hi Drew
Yet another great article. I have to ask, why is the medX leg press seat pad designed in such a manner that forces a flexed spine? This is of course, in contrast with the nautilus leg presses which try to promote a neutral spine with their spine contouring seat pad.
We have both nautilus and medX at our gym and as much as I would like to use the medX, I’ve shied away due to fear of hurting my back in a flexed position. Are my fears unfounded?
Thank you
Hey Mitesh,
As I mentioned in the article, your back should not flex if you are positioned and performing the exercise correctly. If the seat is not reclined too far and if your start position is correct your lower back should not round much on the MedX leg press. The problem could be your foot position, thigh angle, seat position, etc. Without seeing it it’s hard to say.
Hi Drew, Good post.
I have been using a Smith Machine for 5×5 strong-lift program for about 10 months, I see some good results. but I have modified the program by adding Smith Machine push ups, pull ups, Chin ups. calf raise, Shrugs, and close grips bench press, which are more compound exercises to the program. I divided the extra compound exercises between A & B days. What I am trying relate is I agree with you that Machines could give good results if they are design properly, and in most cases the muscle doesn’t know whether your using free weights or a Machine.